One Small Step
by Nazrath
Summary: Kagome, a 24-year-old painter, is injured grievously in an accident leaving her blind and unable to walk. Inuyasha is the sole orthopaedic at the Seven Hills hospital, a hospital which was his father's pride and his mother's dream and at present is at a very precarious position. Can Kagome stand up on her own two feet again? Can Inuyasha bring back the old glory of Seven Hills?
1. Chapter 1: THE VICTIM

**A/N: **To all those readers of my other fanfics (The Roar of Silence, Crazy Stupid Love, The Kazehime's Song and Saying Goodbye)

I apologize, deeply and truly, for not continuing them.

The stories apparently have gone completely out of control and hence, they will be in for some major editing. Also, the characters do not seem to have the depth that I wanted.

The storyline per se will not change, though a couple of scenes might. I cannot make a promise as to when they will be updated completely but I can assure you that the work has already begun.

Life can be a b***h sometimes, and the past year has been a true sense of hell. But 2015 is a new year, with new beginnings and a new fanfic and so I hope you guys will like it.

An I promise all of you faithful readers that this story will not be abandoned since this time, I had the foresight of writing three chapters in advance. It will be a romantic drama with toppings of the usual action and adventure...after all, adventure is unavoidable when our favourite couple is concerned, right?

Updates will be slower, once a month I guess. But chapters will be long. :)

**Summary: **Kagome was injured badly in an accident, leaving her blind and cripple. Can Dr. Inuyasha Takahashi make this spunky girl come back on her feet again? And can she enjoy the sights and sounds of the world again? InuXKag.

* * *

**ONE SMALL STEP—AN INUYASHA FANFIC **

**CHAPTER 01: THE VICTIM**

_ There were lights..._

_Sounds...of metal ripping, bone crunching, voices screaming..._

_There was a fire...there was blood...there was something crushing her legs..._

_She couldn't see her hands, she couldn't feel her legs..._

_She felt her mouth form an 'o', but she couldn't hear herself scream..._

_Then she felt the velvety nothingness embrace her, and she gladly gave up herself to the oblivion._

* * *

It was two in the night.

There were few places in the world where one can never realize the passage of time—train stations, airports, highways.

And the trauma centre of a hospital.

Whatever the clock might say, these places were always bustling with people.

"Patient incoming! Patient incoming!" a nurse screamed, wheeling a stretcher to the rear end of the trauma centre where the more severe cases were treated.

"Accident at the highway...possible fracture of both legs, right arm. Eyes hit with shrapnel..."

"Get the doctors immediately! This is no case for an intern or a resident!"

A nurse rushed upstairs as the P.A. system began blaring out the announcement.

_"Trauma incharge, please come to the trauma centre...Trauma incharge—"_

* * *

Four doctors were clustered around one table in the doctor's refreshment room on the first floor when they heard the announcement.

"Trauma incharge at this hour? Must be a really banged-up case," one of them muttered. He had brownish-black hair with deep sapphire eyes, an easy handsome face and smiling lips. He was presently leaning back as much as the chair allowed him to, sighing on hearing the announcement's second reiteration.

"I better go," he sighed, standing up.

"Are you sure, Miroku? After two consecutive surgeries, can you hold up?" asked the woman sitting next to him. She was tall and slender with long brown hair, presently held up in a high ponytail so that it wouldn't come in the way of work. She had brown eyes with a light-pink eyeshadow, a determined yet soft face with a poise that exuded both confidence and compassion.

"Can't help it Sango," Miroku sighed again, reaching for the white coat hanging on the hook and pulling it over himself.

"Stop sweating it, I'll go. My shift will start in fifteen minutes anyway," interjected another man, standing up and grabbing his coat and stethoscope. He was tall and well-built with deep amber eyes and a wealth of silver hair framing his face.

"You sure, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, his eyebrow perked up. Clearly, he didn't expect such thoughtfulness from the silver-haired man.

"Let's just say that you would owe me a huge favour," he smirked before leaving the room.

Miroku looked at the retreating figure with a confused frown on his face.

"Was I on the losing side here?" he asked to no one in particular as two voices, on male and another female, giggled away to glory.

* * *

The nurse who headed the trauma centre for the night bumped into Inuyasha when he was about to climb down the steps.

"Dr. Takahashi!" she exclaimed with genuine relief.

"Yes, Dr. Miroku Ryugamine wouldn't be handling this case...he's a bit tired. Care to brief me a bit?" said Inuyasha, professionalism seeping into his voice.

"Accident victim with both legs fractured along with her right arm, possible shrapnel injury to her eyes. We do not know of any spinal or internal injuries at the moment, though. But I believe the victim is not moving anywhere anytime soon," the nurse replied, looking a bit queasy.

"That bad?" Inuyasha whistled in a low voice.

The nurse shivered yet again, making his eyes harden. She was the most experienced nurse in the hospital and if the sight of the victim gave her the jitters, then the case was seriously a grave one.

"Blood loss?" he prompted.

"Very. I have already sent her blood samples for prelim analysis—so that we can start transfusion at a moment's notice if need be," she replied, her maternal face regaining the lost composure. The duo had reached the trauma centre, and already Inuyasha figured where the victim was—only one bed in the entire 50-bed ward was crowded by all the people on duty.

"Time for work," said Inuyasha, striding purposefully towards the bed.

After snapping at the people to get them return to their respective duties, he barked orders to the nurses.

"IV drip!"

"Coming!"

It was then he looked fully at the patient.

She looked young, no older than himself. Her long black hair framed her pale face like stormy clouds, her lips looking whitish due to lack of blood. She wasn't that anorexic thin that most women tend to be her age—rather she looked as if she took care of herself in a healthy way. Her legs, as the nurse had said, were bloodied and shattered, so was her right arm. Blood flowed from her eyes and nose—not a good sign. He got the nurses to clean up the victim—patient—before snatching up a phone to call the doctor's refreshment room. This woman needed a trip to the operation theatre.

And the gods above certainly didn't want Miroku to relax.

"Accident victim. Operation theatre. Prep it up, Miroku—meet you in five." He hung before Miroku could say anything.

After the nurses changed her clothes from blood-soaked white gown into a hospital issued overall, Inuyasha noticed that the blood was beginning to soak through the hastily wrapped bandages.

"To the operation theatre, NOW!" he barked.

The intern, who was on duty with him, gave him the patient file along with the prelim blood analysis.

"Good work, Kohaku," he muttered before following the stretcher.

* * *

**Name: Kagome Higurashi **

**Age: 24 years **

**Blood Group: B+ **

**Family: Aiko Higurashi (mother), Souta Higurashi (brother), Kikyo Higurashi (sister)**

Inuyasha lifted his head up from the file to find that he was already at the Operation Theatre.

"Hey Kohaku!" he called at the intern as he was about to enter the OT.

"This girl's family, have they been informed?" he asked, waving the file.

Kohaku looked at the file upside down before answering.

"Aiko and Souta Higurashi were not available, but I believe Ayame got through Kikyo. She should be on her way as we speak," he answered slowly.

"Go down and wait for this Kikyo...inform her about the situation," Inuyasha grunted in reply.

Kohaku looked slightly crestfallen—he had been hoping to be allowed into the OT as an observer.

Inuyasha looked at the boy's disappointed face before adding, "You assisted Miroku throughout the day—too much in too little time will make your head spin," he said gently before disappearing inside.

He felt a little bad on not letting him observe the operation but he knew what it was like when the mind refused to process anything on one sudden random moment.

He had seen his brother, an excellent eye-surgeon of international repute, be reduced to a whimpering blob of human flesh two years ago. And how his wife Kagura and daughter Rin try to bring him to normalcy day in, day out.

In the medical field, it was easy to overwork yourself if you were passionate about your work. Kohaku was his protégé, and he treated the young man like his own kid brother. And he was shaping up nicely.

The operation had already started by the time he was in his scrubs. He helped Miroku fix up Kagome Higurashi's legs and her right arm.

After leaving the final clean-up to the nurses and senior residents, the two doctors exited the OT only to find a woman, looking strikingly similar to the patient inside, ram into them with tear-streaked face and sad, pained eyes.

"Miss Kikyo Higurashi, I presume?" said Inuyasha, making way to the metallic visitor's chairs and sitting down. Kikyo Higurashi followed suit.

Inuyasha was slightly surprised to see another man sit next to her, leaving Miroku to sit on the chair opposite to them across the passage. He was taller than himself, with long black hair and piercing violet eyes set in a fair, smooth face.

"I am Naraku Yagami, Kikyo Higurashi's fiancé," he said in a manner of introduction. It was then Inuyasha noticed his arm around Kikyo's shaking shoulders, comforting her.

"It was a celebratory dinner in the Grand Ballroom, thrown by the Akatsuki Art Gallery. We," Kikyo motioned themselves before continuing. "We too were invited along with Kagome but Naraku had an important case in the court today, so he got late. Kagome went without me..."

Kikyo dissolved into tears again.

Inuyasha was at a loss as to what to do; he could never grasp the whims and mannerisms of the feminine species like Miroku could.

Thankfully, the aforementioned man came to his rescue.

"Kagome Higurashi wasn't drunk...the blood tests came out clean. And as far as the witnesses say, the offending vehicle jumped the red light, not her," said Miroku gently.

Naraku drunk in the information.

"Thank you...Doctor..?" he began uncertainly.

"Ryugamine. Miroku Ryugamine," Miroku supplied.

"Thank you, Dr. Ryugamine. That information will surely help us to prosecute the offender when the time comes," Naraku replied.

"But Doctor...?" Kikyo began.

"Takahashi." Inuyasha interjected.

"Dr. Takahashi, what about my sister? How is she? The intern downstairs told me a lot but you tell me just one thing...will she be okay? Will she...will she be normal again?" Kikyo asked tearfully.

Inuyasha sighed before beginning his monologue. Unlike other doctors, he hated giving false hope. Instead, he preferred blunt truth as he believed that sooner the patient knew, the better he would adjust with his new reality.

"Her both legs have been shattered badly, along with her left arm. Miroku patched her up, but that's just temporary—so she's not walking anytime soon. When her legs do get better, she would need at least six months of therapy before she can walk on her own. So we can comfortably say that marathons are out of her to-do list for the next two years. Her left arm, fractured yes but it is a clean break which we patched up with plates. I dare say she will be swinging her left arm within three months. But..."

Inuyasha faltered slightly.

"Her eyes are a different story. The broken glass were embedded in both her eyeballs, so she is blind at the moment. The good news is that her retina was saved, so her blindness is not the bad news..."

Inuyasha stopped again, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Her optic nerves have been damaged badly...we need to operate to fix that up. But she is so weak now, operation would mean murder."

Kikyo looked up at him, her eyes red from crying.

"Then what?" she whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

"She would need at least seven months to be operation ready," said Inuyasha in a low voice, feeling suddenly helpless.

At times like this, he cursed his profession.

Kikyo gave a loud wail, collapsing on Naraku's arms.

Even Naraku looked shaken at Inuyasha's last words.

"Is there no other way?" he asked quietly.

Inuyasha shook his head, looking away.

Naraku gave a tired laugh.

"Fate is cruel, isn't it?" he said.

"For a painter to lose sight, nothing could be more brutal, can it?"

* * *

Six hours later, Inuyasha woke up with a start. It was ten-thirty in the morning, the sun streaming happily through the open window. He got up, wincing slightly as his neck stung in discomfort. He had fallen asleep on the couch in the refreshment room, hardly a comfortable place.

He shuffled to the fridge and drank milk directly from the tetrapack before crunching a couple of cookies from the jar on the shelf. After washing his face, combing his hair into a more tamed look, adjusting his shirt and throwing the coat over himself, he stepped out, wondering what to do.

Miroku and Sango had gone home after Miroku wrapped up his discussion with Kikyo and her fiancé regarding the future course of action.

He shuffled downstairs to the reception, thinking of taking the day-off when he bumped into the hospital's resident physical therapist.

"Kouga? You still here?" he asked, surprised. He thought that the wiry, black-haired man had left when he was busy with the operation.

"Yeah, I was waiting for Ayame's shift to end," he answered gruffly. The two men rarely saw eye-to-eye with each other, yet held a grudging respect for the other. Inuyasha knew Kouga was the best in his field and the latter knew that Inuyasha was the orthopaedic in the city. Their lines of work often forced them to work together, but that didn't mean they were chummy.

"I heard about the new patient, bad, is it?" Kouga added.

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted in reply.

Before they could talk anymore, the bubbly receptionist came up to them, smiling.

"Good morning Kouga!" said Ayame brightly.

Kouga's face lost it's animosity as his blue eyes began to sparkle at the sight of his red-headed girlfriend.

"'Morning, Ayame. Home now, shall we? I am already halfway to dreamland," he said, snaking his arm around her waist.

Ayame giggled.

"Means I drive the car...don't wanna end up as a patient in my workplace," she said, giving his arm a playful punch.

Inuyasha looked at their banter with slight disinterest—what was it with people pairing off right and left? Miroku's obvious crush on Sango, Ayame and Kouga...even that girl's sister came with her fiancé.

Why did the planet suddenly start to make way for marriage?

He shrugged before asking her with as much professionalism he could muster in a few words.

"Can I get a day off?" he asked.

Ayame stopped mock-punching Kouga as she lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"I don't think so, Inuyasha. You know our hospital is running low on full-time doctors, and we have a bunch of orthopaedic cases, two being accidental. You know you are going to handle Miss Higurashi's case, right?" she answered thoughtfully.

Inuyasha looked slightly taken aback at the new information.

"Why?" he asked dumbly.

"You are the only full-time orthopaedic here at Seven Hills," said Ayame. "Especially her sister requested us to put you in-charge of the case. You must have impressed them a ton."

Inuyasha couldn't recall any instance in that regard.

He shrugged again.

"Got it, looks like I am not going on a long vacation in the near future," he sighed before walking up to the refreshment room. He had to look through her reports, her old medical record which the Admin Department must have dug up before visiting her in person. He couldn't help but give a huge yawn.

He was in for a busy day today.

"Vacation?" Kouga smirked. "You don't have anyone to go to a vacation with, mutt!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted back before leaving the pair in the bustling lobby, the man huffing while the woman began to pull him towards the exit.

* * *

Three hours later, Inuyasha was on the sixth floor. It was the Long-Term Residence section, where patients who had to remain admitted for more than three months were put up. The floor looked more like a studio apartment corridor, with cheerful homely lighting, cream walls and polished wooden doors. He spotted two kids running around—must be relatives of some patient.

_Room 604: Kagome Higurashi_

_Doctor in-charge: Dr. Inuyasha Takahashi_

He had taken a bath in the tiny tin can that passed as the bathroom in the refreshment room before donning a pair beige flannel trousers and a dark red t-shirt. After a late breakfast of two ham-and-cheese sandwiches with three cups of coffee, he felt sufficiently alert to plunge into Kagome's case.

Apart from the occasional cold and fever, she was never down with fever in her life. She was not a regular drinker, nor a smoker. Clearly, being raised at a shrine left its impact in her lifestyle. She was studying art at the Tokyo University, apart from teaching part-time in the local school.

A clean, healthy life.

Certainly not someone who deserved to be in such an accident.

But then, neither did Sesshomaru deserve what he was going through. And Kagura and Rin certainly didn't deserve any of that.

He shook his head fiercely, trying to prevent his mind from walking that lane.

He opened the door softly.

Unlike the other cabins downstairs, the sixth-floor rooms were decorated in a more homely manner. The walls were a warm yellow, with white curtains fluttering in the breeze.

A brown couch with two armchairs and a coffee table sat next to the door. A fridge was on the far corner of the room, along with a microwave and a gas oven. A door led to another room which had accommodation facilities for the relatives wishing to stay over. Next to that was the door to the toilet.

And in the centre of the room lay Kagome.

The machines attached to her beeped gently, monitoring her vitals. The IV dripped on steadily.

The casts gleamed white, imparting an unrealistic look to her form. Her body was immobile as both her legs were held in place with suspenders.

A white bandage went around her eyes, her billowing black hair providing a sharp contrast. She was breathing normally. It seemed to be a good sign.

Inuyasha closed the door gently behind him, to not disturb the tranquil environment of the room.

"I am awake," she said softly, making him jump.

A small smile lifted her full pale lips.

"Good afternoon, Miss Higurashi," he said, walking upto her.

"You must be Dr. Takahashi the nurses told me about," she said in that same soft voice.

He nodded before realising that she couldn't see.

She gave a tiny laugh. The tinkling sound made him feel giddy.

"I supposed you were nodding," she said, amused.

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly, sitting down on the chair next to her bed.

"Is black really a colour, Dr. Takahashi?" she asked dreamily.

The question took him by surprise.

"The people in the clothes stores do think that way," he replied thoughtfully.

She shuffled a little, trying to get comfortable.

"Then why is it that when you can see nothing, you see black?"

Inuyasha had no answer.

"That intern...Kohaku Ayakashi...he said that this," she motioned her body with her left hand.

"This condition is not permament, is that true?"

Inuyasha began to nod before catching himself in time.

"Yes...to regain your sight, we need to do an operation. But to get ready for that, you need to get back your strength. Six months waiting, at least."

Kagome exhaled slowly.

"That long?" she asked sadly.

"Yes. And call me Inuyasha, Dr. Takahashi sounds too formal." Inuyasha said, in an attempt to spring her up.

It was a tiny success as the girl gave him a small grin.

"You can call me Kagome, everyone does that. Except Hojo-kun, that is," she said in that same soft voice.

"Hojo-kun?" Inuyasha asked, surprised despite himself.

"A friend from high-school. He still insists on calling me Higurashi, though it sounds strange. An old-school guy...with all his honorifics in place." She giggled, the sound making him smile again.

"You are a strong woman, Kagome. Many break vases on their first day," he said, awe colouring his voice slightly.

She smiled, lifting her right hand.

"Can't break vases when I can't see or walk, can I?" she said. But he could hear the underlying sadness in her voice.

"Seven Hills is the best place to be," said Inuyasha proudly. "We will have you running like Usain Bolt, just you wait!"

That brought a light blush on her cheeks.

Inuyasha began to take the readings and check her blood pressure. Next, he called the hospital canteen to deliver lunch up to her room.

"So Inuyasha, certainly you have something interesting to do on a Friday apart from chatting with an immobile accident victim?" she asked lightly.

"Naah...am not much of a ladies man, nor a party guy. I would have probably crashed into my pad if I had gone home, or would have rented a couple of DVDs. But since I am in-charge of your case, I have to camp in the hospital for at least a week until you get eased into your treatment," he replied as he went through her vitals on the patient chart.

"No girlfriend?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered. Just then, the canteen delivery girl came in with lunch—chicken soup with french fries and fried mozzarella sticks.

"Dr. Ayakashi's orders," the girl said hurriedly when he glared at her.

_That Sango..._he thought. How could such bland food cheer someone up?

"Chicken soup?" said Kagome from her bed.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied.

To his surprise, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"The very thing I wanted. Thanks, Inuyasha!"

"Not me," he replied, still dazed. "Thank Sango, our nutritionist."

Inuyasha pushed the switch to make the bed raise itself so that Kagome was in an upright position.

"You okay?" he asked.

Kagome nodded slowly.

He placed her lunch on the dining tray and pushed it towards her.

"Nothing hits the spot like chicken soup...and there's french fries too?" She certainly sounded like one happy bunny.

"Mozzarella sticks as well," he added, bemused.

She was truly a remarkable, unpredictable woman.

Using her left hand, she slowly spooned the soup. Inuyasha started forward in an attempt to help her when a faint trembling of her lips stopped him in his tracks.

She wanted to do it herself. She_ had_ to do it herself.

He sat back, watching her.

Her skin was creamy and flawless, and must have been radiant before her accident. Her hair fell loosely down her back.

He frowned—those nurses should have plaited it. Why didn't he notice it before?

She was slim and healthy, her figure proportionate, her posture proud.

He realised it must have been devastating for her to stay strapped down in the hospital while her body screamed out her free spirit. He prayed to the heavens that she may find strength to fight through and emerge victorious.

After an hour of light conversation. Inuyasha stood up.

"You leaving?" Kagome asked, a bit sadly.

Inuyasha couldn't help but blush at her tone, before reprimanding himself at this childish behaviour.

"Yeah, I am in charge so gotta make the rounds. You need to take rest—after all, you did get seriously banged-up mere twelve hours ago," he answered.

She nodded slowly, smiling.

"You will come again?" she asked hopefully.

"After I finish my rounds," he replied before he could stop himself.

_Why was he so...so..._

But her happy smile made him grin as well.

"Keh!" he smirked, closing the door softly behind him.

As he walked down the steps, the nurses were surprised to see a sudden spring in the step of the usually grumpy and gruff Dr. Inuyasha Takahashi.


	2. Chapter 2: THE DOCTOR

**A/N:** Thanks Sassybratt for pointing the errors...apparently there was something wrong with my word processor. I sorted out the stuff and thus edited the first two chappies accordingly.

The next chappie coming up in a couple of weeks. :)

Waiting for your reviews!

* * *

**ONE SMALL STEP—AN INUYASHA FANFIC**

**CHAPTER 02: THE DOCTOR**

Kagome leant back, trying to calm her raging tidal waves of emotions. Yesterday had been such a fulfilling one—her series of paintings entitled "The Lost Man" had generated quite an interest in the world of art. Just on the first day of the exhibition, three buyers had approached her—all interested to bid for the paintings at the auction two weeks later.

She was beside herself with joy. Finally, after six years, after all that crying, cajoling and convincing her mother to let her study art, she was finally able to hold her own. Pity her mother and Souta had to leave for Kyoto for some work. But she remembered her mother's excited voice on the phone.

"_I am so happy for you, darling! Wish I could stand by you on your big day...but some of your papa's legal documents need some clarification...this sucks but I promise I will come tomorrow. I will cook your favourite tomorrow!"_

She smiled at the memory. Her mother could be angry at times, especially when Kagome was rebellious but deep down the girl knew it was her mother's love which made the older woman a bit snappish at times. After her father died due to leukemia seven years ago, it was hard for her to care for three children. Kikyo's law school was expensive and though the girl attempted to work part-time, her salary was too paltry to suffice. With Kagome leaping into the supposed "sea of no return", her mother had lost it.

But now, with her two daughters settled in fields of their liking, Aiko Higurashi felt at peace.

Kagome couldn't help but feel sad of the moment when her mother comes to know of her condition. She was a kind soul, and Kagome knew it would break her heart if she saw her like this. Kikyo certainly cried torrents on seeing her—but the older sibling had to rein it in in front of their mother.

Kagome hoped Kikyo would be able to console her mother.

Half-an-hour before Inuyasha had entered, Kikyo had left. She tried to make light of the situation, trying to narrate anecdotes in order to make the patient laugh. But Kagome knew better.

Kikyo might be older than her by three years, but the bond between the two of them was closer than the ones that exist between twins.

So she played along.

Now, at long last, she was left to her own devices.

Hell, she wanted to _cry, scream_...do everything that the doctor mentioned most patients doing. She wanted to feel her hands break something, she wanted to hear the crashing sound of breaking glass, she wanted to hear her own throat holler out curses.

She wanted to _see_...

She trailed the fingers of her left hand over the bandage on her eyes.

Curses, she couldn't even _cry..._

She felt trapped in a dark void...she could hear, understand, think...but couldn't do anything.

_SHIT!_ She yelled mentally.

* * *

In the evening, as Inuyasha was preparing to pop in home and get a change of clothes, he spotted Miroku and Sango entering the refreshment room.

"How's the girl?" Miroku inquired, hanging his biker jacket on the peg.

"Conscious, speaking," Inuyasha answered in staccato tone as he piled up his soiled clothing in a duffel bag.

"That's progress...though she needs to be mentally strong for at least a year or so. Getting up from such an ordeal isn't easy," Sango observed, sitting down on a chair as looking at the silver-haired man.

"Hmm...and by the way, she liked your chicken soup," he grunted. The woman gave out a squeal of delight.

"I thought so! Chicken soup is the best comfort food in my book, second only to a piping hot Mac 'n Cheese. Maybe I will take care of her diet personally," she said, clapping her hands.

"Now now Sango, don't get sooo _excited..._" Miroku crooned, his hands which were previously on his sides now inching towards Sango's derriere.

Inuyasha had no need to look up to know the source of the slap and an angry yell of "HENTAI!"

After a muttered goodbye, he went out of the room, rushing downsteps, out of the lobby and into the garage. His trusty VW Bug was sitting contently, glaring at the gigantic Bentley parked opposite.

Inuyasha frowned.

No doctor at Seven Hills was rich enough to buy a Bentley. And certainly no patient capable of buying that mammoth hole in the pocket would prefer treatment here—there were fancier hospitals in the city.

Filing away the mystery for later, he gunned up his car and made way for his house.

Inuyasha hated coming home. The two-storied white-washed house with red-trim set in the midst of a manicured garden filled flowers looked like a picture postcard, yet he had to always fight with himself before forcing his feet to step into the cobbled path. The light on the upstairs bedroom was still on.

Sesshomaru was awake.

Inuyasha sighed...it was just seven in the evening. No one turned in for the night at _seven_...not even new born babies.

He entered the lobby, removing his shoes and placing them neatly on the shoe-rack next to the door. Taking in a deep breath, he walked in.

"Uncle Inu!" came a squeal followed by a tightness around his mid-riff. A mass of jet-black hair confirmed it was Rin.

"Hello Rin, how was your day today?" he asked, smiling gently. He loved his niece.

"It was fun! We learnt about the respiratory system in biology and even had a demo dissection in the lab..." Rin said at top speed, clutching his arm as he walked in towards the kitchen.

A woman with the same jet-black hair as Rin, tied up in a high ponytail and clad in a magenta yukata with an apron thrown over was busy. She smiled at him.

"Hello Inuyasha, you are staying for dinner, I presume?" she asked.

Inuyasha nodded, taking a seat on the armchair in the living room and shifting Rin on to his lap.

"...and then this Masaki had the nerve to pinch my pencil..." she continued, snuggling against him.

He patted her head, listening to her narration.

After five minutes or so, Kagura called from the kitchen.

"Rin! It's time you went and completed your homework!" said Kagura, not unkindly.

Rin pouted.

Inuyasha laughed at her expression.

"Your mother's right, Rin. Do your homework so that you can leave this Masaki in dust!" he said, lifting her off his lap and making her stand before him.

"Okay!" she replied brightly before scurrying back upstairs into her room.

"Rin! No running on the stairs!" Kagura called to her again as she walked into the living room, carrying a tray with two mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of muffins.

"Miroku called me up in the morning, telling me you had a case," she said, leaning back.

Inuyasha cringed—he had totally forgotten to inform her.

Kagura must have noticed his discomfort as she said, "Don't sweat it, you have too much on your plate as it is."

She sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Hard to think of that man as one of the best eye-surgeons in the world," she said softly, taking a swig from her mug.

Inuyasha looked at her eyes, sad with pain and loneliness.

"I can understand that, Kagura," he said softly, squeezing on of her hands with his. She looked at him gratefully.

"You don't know what sort of a support you have been...you have been our anchor...if you weren't there..." Kagura sniffed.

Inuyasha placed his mug on the coffee table as he knelt before her, taking her crying frame in his arms, patting her back to soothe her.

"It is disgraceful, breaking into tears every time...even Rin is stronger than me...she ploughs on forward...but I know...her classmates...they tease her...call her names...insult her father...she might be in eighth grade but she isn't a kid..." Kagura stuttered, her face buried in her brother-in-law's shoulder.

"It's okay Kagura...I know it sounds cliché but you have to _be _strong...for Rin...for Sesshomaru..." Inuyasha said softly.

Kagura withdrew from the embrace, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"I must seem so weak, crying all the time," she sniffled.

Inuyasha looked shocked.

"Of course not! Even though what has happened is unprecedented, you have moved forward! You run a successful magazine on your own, apart from taking care of your husband and daughter! You are the epitome of courage, but you are also a human. It is but natural when emotions overflow. And it always okay to cry," he said, looking astounded.

Kagura smiled.

"Inuyasha...it is hard to think of you as the same man who hated Sesshomaru's guts during our marriage fifteen years back," she said softly.

"The feeling was mutual," he added, but the gravity was lost by a little twinkle in his eyes.

"And it disappeared when Rin was born," he added, resuming his seat on the armchair.

"I can never thank you enough, Inuyasha," Kagura said gratefully, looking into his bright amber eyes.

* * *

Inuyasha left as soon as he bolted down his dinner—and he kicked himself for doing so.

But he couldn't help it.

Seeing Sesshomaru reduced to a bumbling baby bumpkin was certainly not in his not-to-miss list. Even though he felt sad leaving Kagura and Rin behind, he pressed down the accelerator as he rushed towards he lone piece of oasis—the hospital. As he drove into the parking to camp his car at his usual spot, a corner of his mind noticed that the Bentley was absent.

"Wonder whose car that was," he muttered to himself as he locked the doors and went in.

He found Ayame waving at him, prompting him to raise a hand in greeting in return. He liked the bubbly girl, just that he couldn't understand what she saw in the surly, pompous therapist. He traipsed upstairs, to that room which saw him more than his bedroom back home.

He entered just to witness Sango deliver Miroku another slap on his face. He couldn't help but shake his; didn't the man ever learn?

"Evening, Inuyasha," Sango said, trying to sound pleasant while staring daggers at the slapped man. Miroku hastily took refuge behind a discarded newspaper.

"Evening Sango. You leaving?" Inuyasha asked, hanging his jacket and wearing his coat.

"Just arrived. Night duty," she sighed, collapsing on a chair. "Though it beats me why Seven Hills needs a _nutritionist_ at night."

"Employee shortage, girl," Miroku quipped, only to quail under Sango's murderous glare.

Inuyasha nodded as he poured himself some coffee from the vending machine.

"As such, there's as many full-time here as your fingers. And I am not counting your toes. By the way, thanks for calling up Kagura, Miroku" he said as the smell of instant coffee filled the room.

Miroku quirked up his brow in response as Sango shrugged, not fully convinced.

"There's Kouga as therapist, old Kaede from pathology, me as surgeon," said Miroku, counting off his fingers.

"Sango as nutrionist, Kanna as the gynecologist, Hibiko as GP and me as orthopaedic," Inuyasha finished before pouring the coffee down his throat. Sango cringed at this action of his.

"Does your throat not burn?" she asked, pointing at the cup.

"Not exactly...it's lukewarm. Remind me to put down a complaint to change our vending machine," Inuyasha replied, crunching up the cup and aiming at the litter bin. Luckily, he scored.

"That's seven doctors, with Ayame and Michiko as receptionists the full-time count goes up to nine. The cleaners, nurses, kitchen staff and the ward boys are all on contract here. Though Nurse Kaoru's stay period is longer than I assumed," Miroku concluded, placing the paper back on the table and staring at it as if trying to figure why was he reading a three-week old newspaper upside down.

"Nurse Kaoru's another full-time," Inuyasha interjected, slowly shifting his chair away from Sango. He had a feeling that a dormant volcano was getting ready to erupt.

"She's been here as long as myself," he added, satisfied at the little distance he had put between himself and a seething Sango and proceeded to lean back.

"That explains why she is so immune to my distinctively alpha male charms," Miroku mused, unconsciously dodging a thrown shoe.

"Ten members," Inuyasha said with an air of finality though he sighed inwardly. Why the hell doesn't that pathetic excuse of a monk slash moronic and clinically insane surgeon propose to that "slightly" violent nutritionist already?

He rubbed his temples, trying to rein in the headache that was on its way.

"But that doesn't explain the need of _me_ staying overnight," Sango pressed on, Miroku momentarily forgotten.

"Apart from being a nutritionist, you are also a trained paramedic who specializes in handling trauma cases. So if either Miroku or I or anyone needs a hand, you are there. Simply, we are short of hands here."

Sango drunk in Inuyasha's explanation, sighing softly.

"That should be it, since it is coming out of the horse's mouth," she commented dryly, checking her watch.

"I don't own the hospital, Father does," Inuyasha pointed out.

* * *

_I don't own it, dad does. And perhaps one fine day, Sesshomaru will inherit it._

Inuyasha rubbed his temples again, trying to block that impending headache. He gave up—best if he expected it and kept couple of aspirins handy.

Miroku and Sango had left, leaving him with his thoughts. They were his best friends, rather the _only _people who knew him and his closet full of rotting skeletons. It sometimes surprised him the way they stuck through thick and thin...one mention of that fact and Sango would toss her hair flippantly and remark about the good pay and Miroku would simply shrug it off.

Seven Hills might be one of the best hospitals in the city due to the level of personal care it bestowed on its patients but Inuyasha knew it was running on fumes. After Sesshomaru went...out of commission...and his father got himself kicked out of the better part of the continent for being more candid than necessary with the hospital sponsors, it was more or less on his shoulders to run the thing.

There were daily proposals waiting for him, both on paper and in his e-mail account, about how this building could be brought down and the area be developed into a more commercially viable venture. But he put his foot down.

Seven Hills was his mother's dream...the last thing that made her smile before she died. No way he was bringing it down.

After Sesshomaru's breakdown two years ago and the subsequent "exile" of his father, the hospital suddenly lost the people who ran it. And by the time Inuyasha got it reined in, the damage was done.

But he had survived. Veiled threats, direct threats, legal complications, financial problems...he rode it all. Though it was no longer the busy hospital as it was in its prime, it was still a respected one.

And people still came to get treated.

The clock struck eleven.

Inuyasha sighed. He had promised Kagome to visit after the rounds...but he ended up going home.

_Maybe I will make it up to her tomorrow_, he thought.

After dawdling for ten more minutes, he decided to go for his nocturnal round before drowsing away in his refreshment room.

The night in a hospital always seemed a bit eerie. The lights in the corridors were dimmed, so he could see the guide lights on the floors gleam brighter than usual. Inside the wards, lights were off, save for the tiny blinking LEDs on the various beeping machines. The soft regular breathing of the patients put his mind at ease.

He saw the nurse in charge of the particular ward stand at the slightly ajar door, staring at him. After walking past all the beds, he exited the ward. He was curious as to what she wanted.

"Yes," he read the name tag on her white-and-pink uniform, "Koharu...what is it?"

She seemed nervous.

"The patient next to the window...he refused to take his daily injection," she muttered in a low voice.

He couldn't help but feel amused at her statement.

"You are new, I presume?" he inquired, cocking up an eyebrow.

She nodded, examining her feet.

"It's difficult, I agree...but don't get intimidated."

He winked at her.

"Don't worry, you are paid to intimidate so that the people take their medicines."

She looked a bit happier as she went over to her station.

* * *

_Of course she would be sleeping!_

Inuyasha still teetered between his mind and his conscience in front of the door of Kagome's room when a peal of laughter was heard inside.

_What the..._

To his surprise he found Sango with the said girl, clutching a stitch at her side as she laughed at some joke. Kagome too was smiling brightly.

"What the...?" Inuyasha stuttered, his amber eyes huge and round in wonder.

"It's _eleven thirty_ for Heaven's sake, Sango," he said, sounding appalled.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, bossman," Sango said, failing to keep a straight face.

"Kagome here is bored out of her freaking mind so I thought I would help her count sheep to sleep," she chortled while Kagome vigorously nodded in agreement.

"What_ever_," he drawled, dragging another chair and plonking himself next to the nutritionist.

"So how's it?" he asked Kagome, glaring at Sango to shut her up. Sango tried but failed. Spectacularly.

"Apart from breaking three out of four limbs, glass in my eyes and some really minor internal bleeding, I am peachy," she snorted, making Sango positively howl in mirth.

He frowned, giving up to quieten the two women.

"You are going in for an X-Ray first thing tomorrow morning...and apparently your mother and brother are planning to visit you after that. You have a full schedule as such so I _suggest _you rest," he growled.

The mention of her family members shut her up.

"Mama and Souta?" she whispered.

"Yep," he answered, stretching his arms and folding them behind his head.

Kagome sighed as Sango gave her a sympathetic pat on her left arm.

"Sango, I _presume_ you too have a schedule to follow?" Inuyasha said smoothly, dragging the said girl on her feet and pushing her towards the door.

"Or," he whispered threateningly, "I swear I will tell Miroku the code of your locker...and you don't want that pervert to know that, do you?"

"Inuyasha!" she hissed back, allowing herself to be pushed towards the door. "I _swear _I will get a one up on you some day!"

"Kagome...now sleep!" said Inuyasha, closing the door softly behind him, leaving her alone in the dark.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review!

The story has been slow till now as preparing the stage takes time. I can assure you that the next chappie will take the story to the next gear.

Question for you guys: Whose Bentley it is? Names unnecessary but you can guess the part the owner plays in the story.

I first thought I will make this story a little angsty but that's not really me...so I guess I will keep up the morale with some humour thrown in. Inuyasha seems more mature than ever but there's a reason for it...keep up to find out!

**For all those who are following my CCS fanfic CRAZY STUPID LOVE:**

Ta Da! I have begun to edit the fanfic and most probably will post the updated version of the first couple of chappies next month. If you can find any loopholes in the old version you want me to address, don't hesitate to PM/post in the review box.

**TILL NEXT TIME, PEEPS!**


	3. Chapter 3: THE DRIVER

**ONE SMALL STEP—AN INUYASHA FANFIC**

**CHAPTER 03: THE DRIVER**

_The night was still young as the dying embers of the sun tried valiantly to purge the darkness of the night. Inside the ballroom, however, looked like the land of eternal light._

_Hushed conversations, a faint yet melodious tune of the piano coupled with the unmistakable splash of champagne in flutes defined the aura of the party. And it was indeed a matter of honour for one certain dark-haired woman as she stood next to the dais, a smile so bright that it almost dulled the million-watt chandelier above her._

_Her happiness and pride shone through her flushed cheeks as her full crimson lips sipped the bubbly liquid in contentment. Clad in a simple white gown that hugged her torso and flared from her hips, studded with strategically placed crystals that sparkled with her movement and her hair held up in a sleek yet simple updo which showed off her creamy swan-like neck, she looked like a pure white angel who descended from the heavens._

"_Miss Higurashi, I presume?" said a man, standing next to her._

_She answered with a tilt of her head._

"_Your paintings are breathtaking—I would really like to own a couple of them," he said, his voice easy yet cultured. She faintly recalled him being with the Art Restoration Committee. _

"_I am honoured you think that," she replied, bowing a little._

"_You will be going places now, Miss Higurashi. Keep faith in your work."_

* * *

The first thing she felt was a dull pain in her limbs. Reflexively, she tried to open her eyes.

She couldn't.

Hence she panicked.

_God...what the—_

She began to thrash about in her bed before a shooting pain ran up her left arm. A smell of burning tyre and gasoline along with visions of infernal fire made her remember.

_The accident, of course._

She quietened down, trying to calm her raging nerves. It sickened her, the way she was suddenly transferred to the role of a cripple. For someone as fiercely independent as her, it was worse than being thrown out of a high-paying job and left to fend for oneself on the streets.

_The way I am, I can't even shift a centimetre on my own,_ she thought wryly. The blackness was getting a little irritating now.

She didn't know for how long she lay there, contemplating about life in general and how karma can be a bitch in particular. She was a happy person, even cracking jokes with that nutritionist yesterday night. But, she thought dully, there's only so much one could do to keep the mind deluded.

A quiet click of the door alerted her of the fact that she had visitors. She wondered how she looked like.

Did she look like a mummy from Egypt?

A spicy smell of aftershave made her realize that Inuyasha was one of the three or four people who had entered her room. Unconsciously, she felt her cheeks flush slightly. How could she crush on a man whose identity was limited to two conversations and a spicy aftershave?

A flowery fragrance told her her mother accompanied him. Funny how she was beginning to recognize people based on smell. So the third person had to be Souta.

"Good morning Kagome," Inuyasha said, sounding brighter than usual. She frowned. Bubbly attitude didn't suit his voice and his aftershave.

"Oh Kagome!"

Kagome felt a soft hand pat her head as a chair was dragged with a _screech _next to her.

"Mama?" she asked softly.

"I am so sorry, Kagome..." said her mother. Kagome could visualize the older lady crying. Aiko Higurashi was never the stoic, cold woman.

"How are you, Kagome-neechan?" asked Souta from her other side. Kagome lifted her left hand, beckoning him to come closer. Awkwardly, she found his head and patted it.

"Surprisingly, I am okay," she replied. Souta brought down her hand and held between his.

"It's so nerve-wracking," her mother sniffed. "I have always hated the hospitals...I just don't know what to _do_ anymore!"

"Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha began. Kagome was surprised to hear that gentle undertone in his otherwise gruff voice.

"Seven Hills might not be fancy as the other hospitals in the city, but we can proudly say that the hands that run it are the best in the field. We will have your daughter up and running in no time," he said with a confidence so infectious that Aiko Higurashi stopped crying.

"Dr. Takahashi..."

"Please, Mrs. Higurashi. Call me Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha...thank you so much. I need someone who knows what's he doing. Thank you for taking care of my Kagome," she said, sniffing a little.

"That's we doctors do, ma'am. We are paid to take care of people," Inuyasha said.

Somehow, Kagome felt a little happier on hearing that.

* * *

After a breakfast of ham-and-cheese sandwiches, orange juice, fruits and milk, Kagome was taken to the X-Ray department. Aiko and Souta went home after promising her that she would bring dinner for her.

That declaration made Sango green with envy.

"Kagome _loved_ my food!" she complained. The three of them—Miroku, Inuyasha and herself were in the canteen on the topmost floor of the hospital. Miroku was digging into his cornflakes while Inuyasha and Sango were slowly chewing the curry bun, intermittently sipping the black liquid that passed as coffee.

"Why don't you get the canteen food to be better?" Miroku said indignantly, waving a milky spoon in Sango's direction. "We doctors love good food too!"

"Unfortunately, I am paid to feed the patients not you, monk," she replied, still pouting over the fact that Kagome wouldn't be eating _her_ dinner today.

Inuyasha ignored the two as he drowned the last bit in one gulp. He pushed his chair back, hurriedly dumped his plate and cup in the bin and strode out.

"And why is _he _getting all worked up?" asked Miroku, watching the silver-haired doctor walk out of the canteen.

"Beats me," Sango shrugged. "But if I had to guess, I think he likes that Higurashi girl."

Inuyasha strode down purposefully to the X-Ray room to see Kagome sitting on the bed in a nearby ward, twiddling her thumbs.

"Hey Inuyasha," she smiled.

"How did you it was me?" Inuyasha wondered out loud.

"Your aftershave coupled with that shuffling noise of your steps...it's almost your ID," she grinned.

Inuyasha's face relaxed into a smile. "So, how's it going?"

Kagome shrugged, slightly wincing when pain shot down her right arm. "I got out half-an-hour ago, I guess," she mused.

"Hmm..." Inuyasha scratched his chin. He made a mental note to shave off the stubble before it got worse. "It's a nice morning...care to come outside?"

Inuyasha looked surprised at his own words...but he couldn't take them back. Not when Kagome's face looked all bright and flushed up.

"Can I go?" she asked quickly.

"I don't see why a couple of minutes in the hospital garden on your wheelchair with me accompanying you could be harmful. And besides, getting sunlight and some fresh air can work wonders. Wait here a minute, I will get a nurse and a wheelie," said Inuyasha before running out of the cabin.

Five minutes later, Kagome was comfortably bundled onto a wheelchair as Inuyasha slowly rolled her through the lobby. The usual hubbub of the noises felt alien to Kagome...it seemed as if she had been away from the world for _decades_.

She felt someone walk up to them, and almost yelped out in shock when she felt a brief touch of lips on the knuckles of her right hand, the only portion uncovered by her bandages.

"Oi wolf! Stop harassing the patient!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome giggled at his response—after the initial shock of a peck on her hands, it felt nice to attract attention the feminine way.

"It's okay, Inuyasha," she said, the giggle still in her voice. "So what would your name be, doctor?"

Kouga thumped his chest proudly, tipping her with a huge wink before anwering.

"Dr. Kouga Kagamine at your service, ma'am. I am the resident physical therapist, the guy who's gonna teach you how to walk."

Kagome felt a sudden coldness in her chest as she realized the true depth of what the accident had landed her in. Inuyasha must have sensed the sudden drop in her bubbly nature, making him growl at the oblivious therapist. Before he could say anything, the red-headed receptionist suddenly appeared at Kouga's arm, her happy smile firmly in place.

"Hello Kouga! Hey Inuyasha!" she said brightly. Kagome's head perked up at the new voice. Ayame bent to lift Kagome's hands in hers, shaking them gently.

"I am Ayame Kurosawa, the receptionist here. You must be Kagome Higurashi," she said brightly.

A small smile spread over Kagome's lips—Ayame's spirited personality was truly an infectious one, affecting anyone and everyone in the vicinity.

"Hello Ayame," she said.

"Sorry gotta dash, people. Kouga, you are wanted up in Room 8...some patient with a back problem. Later guys! And yeah, Kags...I will drop by your cabin soon!" said Ayame quickly, dragging a bemused Kouga away, leaving Inuyasha mouth soundlessly like a goldfish.

"Weren't we supposed to go to the garden?" Kagome smirked, regaining her spunky attitude.

"Keh!" Inuyasha muttered, pushing her chair towards the garden door.

* * *

The sun felt nice after what seemed like an eternity behind closed doors. Kagome tried to stay out-of-doors if she could help it—she always felt claustrophobic indoors. She stretched out her left hand up in the air, feeling the light breeze brush her skin, cooling it down. A sweet smell hit her nose. She lifted her face and began to sniff.

"That's the rose garden you are smelling," said Inuyasha dryly, watching her with interest. He fixed her chair on a grassy patch and flopped down next to her on the ground, leaning back on his arms. His coat lay discarded next to him.

"There's a rose garden?" she said, surprised.

"Yep...red, pink, white, orange, yellow...there was a blue rose too...but it apparently dried out and died. I am still searching for a blue rose plant," he said dreamily. His mother loved plants, and roses were her favourite. The entire garden was designed by her. And at this point, it really looked beautiful. The cobbled paths were bordered with sakura trees and grass was dotted with patches of flowering plants of various types—hyacinths, carnations, magnolia...Inuyasha couldn't remember the rest of the names. And at one corner was his mother's most prized possession of all—the rose garden.

He sighed to himself as he stared up at the sky.

_Hope you are well up there, mom..._

A distant thrum of a car shook him out of his reverie. The parking was located some distance away from the garden, but it was visible from the point Inuyasha was sitting. To his surprise, it was the same Bentley he saw yesterday.

He motioned to a nurse walking up to the building to stay with Kagome as he got up to investigate.

He jogged up to the fence that surrounded the garden, jumped over it and walked into the parking. A young man with long silky black hair in a braid stood leaning against the car, a frown marring his otherwise handsome face. He looked around twenty-five, no older than that.

A well-built man clad in a business suit stood facing the young man, his face agitated. Inuyasha lounged out of sight. Normally, he never eavesdropped but this time, the curiosity got the better off him.

"...master Bankotsu!" the man said exasperatedly.

The young man—Bankotsu—waved his arm, opening his eyes fully.

"I don't care how. That Naraku is snooping around...too much close for comfort, if you ask me. I want him taken care of. And also, I cannot let the girl testify against me in court—coz my passport will _really _be confiscated this time if I am proved guilty. I don't know how, but get that girl and that pesky lawyer out of my way...ensure that even if she testifies, it would be pointless," Bankotsu said grimly.

"But sources say that she is temporarily blind at the moment. She cannot testify against you. And by the time she _gets _well, you are well-settled in the States," the man said, wiping his brow.

"If she plans to go to court _next _year, then?" Bankotsu asked. "I want to _you_ to ensure her testimony remains _unaccountable_ as long as she lives...got that, Suikotsu?"

The man named Suikotsu, nodded again. "Alright master Bankotsu, if that's what you desire. I will go in and see."

Bankotsu looked up at the hospital, shading his eyes from the sun.

"Damned Seven Hills! They take their jobs way too seriously!" he muttered, following the man into the hospital, leaving behind a visibly shaken Inuyasha.

* * *

**A/N: **Short chappie this time but the next piece of action is too big to fit in this one. Hmm...looks like Bankotsu's the reason our lovely Kagome is all banged up in the hospital... .

A random question...when does the sakura season start in Japan? It is indeed a heavenly sight to see the sakura trees in full bloom...I really wanna visit Japan during sakura season and maybe be a part of the _hanami _party...and what's a _hanami _party? Post your thoughts and your answers in the review box!

**Announcement: **The sequel to my Fairy Tail fanfic "THE ROAR OF SILENCE" is already two chappies up! I will be posting the third chappie sometime today. Do check it out!

Till next time, folks!

ANIME DAISUKI!


	4. Chapter 4: THE LAWYER

**CHAPTER 04: THE LAWYER**

Kagome realized that Inuyasha wasn't around her.

"Where's Inuyasha?" she said uncertainly.

"Dr. Takahashi will be returning within a few minutes. Don't worry, miss," said the nurse in a gentle voice.

But Kagome couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

Around fifteen minutes, Kagome got a whiff of that now-familiar aftershave. Involuntarily, her shoulders relaxed and she gave a sigh of relief. It was then she realized that she was, albeit, slightly tensed.

"Hey Inuyasha, it's not fair to ditch a lady and run away all of a sudden," she laughed lightly, though worry clouded her heart. She couldn't see, but she wasn't stupid.

That's what she thought anyway.

"It's nothing," he muttered, dismissing the nurse with a wave. He began pushing her chair back towards the hospital. "Besides, it's almost your lunch time and Sango's dying to get you taste her new menu."

Kagome could hear an uneasy undercurrent in the otherwise lazy drawl but decided not to pursue it further.

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

"Ramen with an extra helping of pork, chicken teriyaki along with tofu salad on the sides—washed down with a glass of orange juice...man, even my mouth's watering. Why don't _we _get such good food?"

Kagome could almost visualize Miroku drooling as the latter said those words.

Sango rolled her eyes, bending to poke a finger on his nose.

"Listen, Dr. Miroku Ryugamine...we are here to treat people, and it's a _hospital_, not a _freaking restaurant_!" said Sango, emphasizing her point with periodic jabs to his nose. Miroku slumped on his chair, though an eye observed Inuyasha with veiled interest. It was, well, unusual to see the normally stoic and grumpy doctor hang on to somebody's words. But he sure didn't miss the worry lines on Inuyasha's forehead.

Miroku twitched up his eyebrow.

Inuyasha shook his head, pointing outside discreetly.

Miroku gave a tiny shrug.

If Sango noticed this non-verbal exchange, she ignored it.

Happily oblivious to her companions actions, Kagome dug in.

"It's _amazing_, Sango! Are you I sure I am in a hospital and not in any Michelin-starred restaurant? Coz this ramen is the best I have _ever _tasted!" Kagome gushed as she chewed a mouthful.

"You haven't tasted mine," said Inuyasha grumpily, pouting like a schoolboy.

Kagome squealed, making him almost topple off the chair.

"You can _cook_, Inuyasha?" she asked, astounded, her lunch temporarily forgotten.

"Only ramen, not much," he said, slightly awkwardly with a hint of pride.

Miroku rolled his eyes.

"He cooks only and _only _ramen, that too the instant version. You cannot call that cooking, Inuyasha," he said, patting the orthopaedic on his head.

Inuyasha growled, trying to shake his hand off.

"Yeah, but unless you pour in the water the right amount and let it stay for the right time..." he began.

"But you didn't put in the ingredients..." Miroku interjected.

"Guys! This is a hospital for crying out loud!" Sango groaned, rubbing her temples.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle as she popped in a piece of chicken teriyaki. How she wished she could just _see_...

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

Kikyo Higurashi looked like a woman on a mission. She walked up smartly into the office, the place which had made her grow into a lawyer. Clad in a sharp, casual white shirt, grey skirt, black kitten heels and the blazer folded neatly in her arms, she walked firmly into the cabin of the man who headed the department—her fiancé.

Naraku was currently in the middle of heated argument with someone on the other side of the phone. He motioned her to sit on the chair in front of him as he ploughed on. After ten minutes or so, he slammed the phone back on its stand, burying his head in his hands. Kikyo stood up and walked around the table, cradling his head in her arms as she ran her fingers soothingly over his scalp. He gave a small sigh of contentment, inhaling her scent as he allowed himself to relax.

"Oh Kikyo," he murmured, wishing to stay like that forever.

"Hush, Naraku," she said softly as she continued her ministrations.

A few minutes later, he pulled back unwillingly though his face looked slightly more relaxed. Kikyo sat back on the chair she was originally sitting.

"So, how's it going?" she asked.

"It's going to be hell, Kikyo. That guy who crashed your sister...he was none other than Bankotsu Miyagi, that brat of the guy who owns the Miyagi Corp. Already, I have received more threat calls this morning than my entire career..."

Kikyo gasped as she realised the implications.

Naraku gave her a feral grin.

"But hey, don't worry. This has fired me up even more. Threat calls? Bodily harm? Blackmail? Man, I am finally in something I always wanted to be! The adrenaline rush is nothing like the roller-coaster at Six Flags...this is freaking _brilliant_!"

Kikyo stared at her fiancé, as if fearing for his sanity.

Naraku took her hands in his, staring in her pools of deep onyx.

"Kikyo, love, I chose to be a lawyer so that I could be there for the people. As a child, I always had this hero complex...now, I have got this opportunity to live it out. Besides, think of what would happen if we beat the Miyagis...it's not just about your sister. There are scores of people who have a grudge against them. Maybe if we come public, then the others will be encouraged to step forth too! And as a lawyer, it would be a golden feather in my cap."

Kikyo smiled at him, her eyes shining with tears.

"But what would happen if you lose?" she asked softly.

Naraku grinned at her.

"I don't fight losing battles, Kikyo."

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

As the clock struck four, Kikyo stepped out of the building for a five-minute coffee break. Unlike Kagome who preferred tea, she was a coffee person. She loved the caffeine in her system, banishing all sluggishness and bringing energy in its wake. She crossed the street, making a bee-line for her favourite coffee-shop.

"A blueberry scone and one macchiato please."

She took her order and sat down on a nearby table, nibbling a scone. Naraku and she had discussed well and deep into the case, building a strong foundation and preparing plans to seek out for clues. He had already got his information brokers on the warpath, while his long time friend in the police Hakudoshi had begun sniffing around for anything that could incriminate Bankotsu. She decided to get her mother and brother out of the country for sometime. The Miyagis were tough customers...they could try and hold them hostage if required. After making a mental note to drop in to visit her mother post work, she emptied her cup in a swig and deposited the empty paper plate and cup in a trash can.

She hurried in as she checked her watch—she had a meeting with a client regarding a divorce case.

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

"...and then, could you believe it, Nee-chan? It was a home-run! I mean, how lucky could one get..."

Souta babbled away his school activities as Kagome listened to his enthusiastic voice with a smile. Her mother arranged her clothes in the wardrobe, listening to her children's chatter as she thought about the phone call she received from Naraku.

"_It could get dangerous...Kikyo will visit you today evening to explain the situation. But it would be best for Souta and you to go out of the country until I get this case wrapped up. As soon as Souta's school year is over, I have an associate in India who can get him enrolled in a school. It is in Mumbai and a very good school at that. And most importantly, it is safe. Once we know the family is well-protected, then Kikyo and I can fight with nothing held back." Naraku had said._

"_But, Kagome..." Aiko began in a soft voice._

"_Hospitals are the safest place for a patient...besides, we are here. I swear I will get the man punished for his crimes."_

"_Okay...if that is the case...I agree..."_

She gave a soft sigh. Naraku told her _not _to tell Kagome as to why they were shifting. Tension would be detrimental to her health at the moment. They decided to tell that Souta got in a sport's scholarship for a year and hence they had to leave.

She told so to Kagome.

To her surprise, Kagome gave them a gentle smile.

"Mama, Souta loves basketball and getting scholarship to a different country is always good. You get to see so many different people...and don't worry, I will be fine here. Kikyo, the doctors...I am being treated like royalty here...just promise to bring me souvenirs, okay?"

Aiko hugged her daughter fiercely, tears threatening to leak out of her eyes.

"Oh Kagome! I so hate leaving now..." she said sadly as the daughter rubbed her hand over her mother's back.

"Now now Mama, I am seriously glad for you...and for Souta. Which reminds me, get good grades in the finals so that the new school knows what we Japanese kids are made of!" said Kagome, smiling.

"You got it, Nee-chan!" said Souta, his eyes a strange mix of happiness and sadness.

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

"I told you sir, I cannot divulge the details of the patient to a person other than people authorised by the family!" Ayame repeated patiently, though she was seething inside. The hulking man in a business suit was seriously creeping her out.

"I understand miss, but our hospital is better suited to take care of patients like her..." he began.

"I am sorry sir, but whatever the reason is, we cannot breach a patient's right to privacy. And pardon me for beating my own trumpet, Seven Hills is _better_ suited than _any _hospital in the city to treat this particular patient. If you have exhausted your pleas, then please leave!" Ayame said, finally letting the anger seep into her voice.

The man looked startled, as if realizing that the girl who reached just upto his chest was angry with him.

"Listen lady, no need to get angry with me..."

"If the receptionist refuses to answer, the exit sign begs your attention," said a smooth voice from behind him. He turned to see a tall, lithe man in a black ponytail and sharp azure eyes stare angrily back, pointing the exit with his thumb.

Ayame winked at him in relief.

"But I was saying..." the man began again.

"Can't you _see_? We don't _freaking _care!" he said angrily. "Now please leave before we call people to bodily lift you out."

With a last angry glare, the man left.

"What was up with that guy?" Kouga asked.

"I dunno...he was asking about Kagome," she replied as she typed away into her computer.

"Kagome Higurashi? Inuyasha's patient?" he asked, surprised.

"Yep," she answered, popping the 'p' sound. "Inuyasha told me someone might come snooping, dunno how he knew."

Kouga scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm...gotta ask that mutt for some answers. Can't have random people harassing my girl. Besides," his azure eyes narrowed as his lips pressed into one grim line. "That guy, I am thinking we are in more something real serious. Keep your senses peeled, Ayame."

Ayame nodded back.

Kouga gave her a wave and moved up the stairs.

"And don't fight with Inuyasha too much," she called at his retreating back. "For all I know, he might be falling for Kagome!"

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

Aiko left the bento boxes on the table, after telling Sango that there were enough for at least six people. Sango had thanked her profusely.

Now, she was home, preparing dinner as Souta was up in his room probably doing homework. She heard the living room door slide open. She set the gas on simmer and stepped out of the kitchen to see her oldest daughter standing in front of her, a rueful smile on her face.

"Oh Mama!" she cried out, hugging the older woman tightly.

"Now now Kikyo...you are our pillar, right?" she said soothingly as she hugged back.

"Mama...Kagome..._why her_?" she sobbed, her tears wetting Aiko's apron.

"The God has many myriad plans, child...He knows what is best," said Aiko, slowly seating her on the sofa. "And Kagome is strong...she will ride through."

Kikyo nodded, rubbing away the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"I know Mama, she is the anchor of this family—the one who always kept us moving forward..." she said softly.

Kikyo handed her mother the folder.

"I have talked to the people of Souta's school...they agreed to make an exception for him and let him take his exams early. Instead of one-and-a-half month later, his exams will be two weeks later. The folder contains the tickets, some emergency foreign exchange, credit cards, ID cards, the school admission papers, visa documents, passports and a diary of addresses for emergencies. There are also two SIM cards which you will need post landing in India."

Aiko took the folder with shaking hands.

Kikyo squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Mama, it will be perfectly alright. We have handled cases worse than this. And besides, we have an incentive to fight this time. You just make sure to bring us stuff from India."

"Okay, Kikyo...if you say so...then I trust you..."

* * *

**A/N: **Hello people! Another chapter, another step forward!

I love you people, especially those guys who review regularly...I feel so awesome when I see you guys review! What do we authors want more than readers who share their thoughts with us! :)

**Ern Estine 13624: **Thanks for sticking with "One Small Step"...more action incoming!

**Sassybratt: **Got that inverted commas fixed...and I went back and edited the first two chappies too...thanks a lot for pointing it out!

**VEENA4: **Thanks for reviewing faithfully...sorry for not making this chappie as long as the first one as the next bit would feel a bit out of place in this chappie...

**rill: **Sess has stuff in his past which is connected in a big way to this story...stick tight!

**jj: **Yep, Inuyasha has a crush on our dear Kagome...so sad he isn't accepting it himself! that's our beloved hanyou for you, completely oblivious! ;)

**inulover: **Can I hit Bankotsu too? I can keep you company!

**QUESTION TIME!**

Guess Souta's age! The one closest to the answer will get a virtual cookie! :D

Till next time, folks!

ANIME DAISUKI!


	5. Chapter 5: THE BROTHER (PART I)

**CHAPTER 05: THE BROTHER (PART I)**

* * *

**TWO YEARS AGO**

**SEVEN HILLS HOSPITAL**

"I asked for a stretcher, dammit! Not a freaking trolley!"

"I am sorry, Dr. Takahashi!"

"Sorry's not gonna cut it...come _on_! Does my father pay you for lounging about?"

"Alright, Doctor!"

Sesshomaru looked positively livid at the moment, the nurses and the other interns maintaining a healthy radius of safety around him. But the senior-most doctor of the facility and one of the best eye-surgeons in the country was entitled to a bit of tantrums though. Especially when he was never bothered about himself—in his case, the patient always came first.

Today was a little girl, who looked around twelve. She was rescued from a burning house and the fumes had singed her eyes pretty badly. If not treated immediately, she was in the danger of losing her eyesight. He called up the surgeon on duty and almost barked out the orders to get the OT prepared. Operations legally required the signature of a guardian in case of a minor but Sesshomaru had never let tiny matters like illegible scribbles come in his way of saving lives. He was eccentric, but well, he knew his work.

He marched up the stairs, mentally forming a plan as to how to carry out the operation. He tied his long hair into a ponytail, all ready to tuck it under the surgeon's cap when another man with similar white hair almost barrelled into him.

"What the—_watch it, Inuyasha_! This is not a _freaking _playground!" Sesshomaru barked again, his dark red eyes narrowed with disdain. Inuyasha skipped out of his reach and continued his mad dash downstairs to God knows where. Sesshomaru sighed...what _would _he do with his brother?

At thirty-five, Sesshomaru still looked the lady-killer he was thirteen years back. Back when he was still a bachelor, the relationship between the brothers were strained—Sesshomaru hated the fact that Inuyasha seemed more close to their mother while Inuyasha hated it when their parents put up Sesshomaru's achievements on a pedestal and wanted him to follow his older brother's footsteps. Inuyasha might be twenty-five, but he behaved like a spoilt five-year-old child. And the fact that irked Sesshomaru was the thing that Inuyasha knew his job. He scored at the top of his class and was steadily on the path of becoming the best orthopaedic around. He just wished he could get some common sense knocked into his head.

He realised suddenly that his feet had carried him to the OT. He breathed out slowly before opening the door.

Yes, he was ready to win yet another battle.

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

"Dr. Takahashi? Inspector Saegusa is here to speak with you."

Sesshomaru gave the secretary a non-committal grunt as he continued with the perusal of the patient's file. The operation had taken a good part of the afternoon but the five hours spent in the OT were fruitful. The girl was on road to recovery.

After reading through the entire file, he allowed a small sigh to escape his lips and called the intercom to let the Inspector in.

Jidan Saegusa was a burly man with a scrunched up face and beady eyes. Sesshomaru disliked the man instantly.

"That burning house was reported to be a result of Yuichiro Miyagi going berserk," said Saegusa calmly, plopping his bulk on the chair across Sesshomaru's desk.

The doctor pressed his fingertips together, his eyes narrowed in deep thought.

"I am afraid I don't see how can I help you with the situation," he said finally.

Saegusa gave a toothy, slightly malicious grin.

"Miyagi wants you to say that the house burnt because of some accident, domestic stuff. Not sabotage," he said, a slimy edge evident in his nasal voice.

"But I cannot help you with that," Sesshomaru reiterated. "I only treated the victim, just like any other patient. My testimony can't even matter."

But he knew Saegusa's thoughts from that smirk on his face. He could feel his hands clam up—oh Gods! If this man was thinking _that_...

"That girl is an eye-witness. If her testimony stands in court, Miyagi is out for good. Kill her, maim her...I don't know. But ensure she cannot _testify_."

Sesshomaru was usually a calm man. Unlike his hot-tempered brother, he was usually the voice of reason, the man who thought logically, the man who did not succumb to emotions. But today, he was in the grips of the rare raging fury that threatened to throttle the man sitting opposite him with his bare hands.

_How dare he suggest such...such...such insanity?_

"And if you refuse to do so," Saegusa continued, apparently enjoying the shaking Sesshomaru's failed attempts to calm his anger. "Your wife and daughter, both are very beautiful, right? And your brother? He seems a nice one to send overseas...what say?"

Sesshomaru finally lost it.

"LEAVE. MY. CABIN. _NOW_!" He roared.

Saegusa laughed.

"Don't forget doc! Miyagi and I will watch over you!"

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

Kagura noticed her husband seemed a bit off at dinner time. When he actually proceeded to add salt into his coffee instead of sugar, she finally decided to get him talking.

"Care to converse?" she asked, placing a hand on his forearm. His eyes softened at the touch as he turned to face her. Kagura was startled to see the emotional turmoil swim in vengeance within those fiery depths.

"Did something bad happen today?" she pressed on, looking at Rin from the corner of the eye. The child was too deep in her imaginary world of teddy bears to pay any attention to her parents' discussion.

She felt him stiffen under her hand and instantly knew that she had hit the nail right on the mark.

"The operation was a tough one," he croaked, suddenly engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug. She knew he wasn't telling the whole story but she didn't press for details at the present—he needed her warmth and love at the moment and she was too happy to comply. They stayed like that for some time before he loosed his grip around her, an apologetic smile on his face. Kagura pouted.

"Hey, no need to apologise! It's not like you are hugging the neighbour's wife or something!" she said, punching his shoulder playfully. Sesshomaru gave a sad chuckle, kissing her cheek lightly before getting up from the couch.

"It's already late and we both have work tomorrow," he sighed, as if going to work tomorrow seemed like a pain in the neck. Kagura frowned. Sesshomaru _loved _his work. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he was obsessed with it. But, maybe it was time they needed a break and had a vacation. She looked at the calender hanging on the wall. Tomorrow was Friday, if they took the day off, they could have an extended weekend. Her mind began to mull over options...how about that beach house of his family's? True it was in need of repair but it was isolated and the beach was spendid. Three people could live there for a couple of days, she mused.

She said the same to Sesshomaru. At first, he looked torn between the prospect of going to work and vacation but Rin, who snapped out of her sleepy daze on the mention of "beach" and "vacation" in the same sentence, managed to win him over by the most adorable set of puppy-eyes.

He sighed, finally relenting. Rin danced a victory jig, delighted at the idea of missing school for an unexpected vacation while Kagura gave an understanding smile, glad to see her husband's face light up for the first time that evening.

**N.A.Z.R.A.T.H.**

* * *

**A/N: **I know the chapter is short but it's a two part thing and I promise the second part will come up within this week. Exams are just round the corner and my Post-grad entrance exams are literally dancing a jig on my poor head...cut the poor girl some slack...ne?

And I am on DeviantArt! My ID's NazrathFFN...though I am still in the process of setting up my profile, you guys can take a peek on the couple of stories I have posted (some are fanfics, some are original) and leave comments as to how you think they are. I will be waiting!.

And again, love you guys for supporting and staying faithful to "**ONE SMALL STEP**". It means a lot when I see the alert of someone reviewing my story...seriously flips up my frown.

The next chappie promises more of SessXInu brotherly fluff and some new sides to the story known till now.

Till next time, folks!

Anime Daisuki!


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